Lessons from Laszlo

Meet Laszlo-- he's great at introductions. He'll nudge you with his warm wet nose, wiggle his tailess bottom and speak a special language of love and enthusiasm. I'm totally in love with my 9 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi. We've been together since he was 6 months old. Here are some lessons that Laszlo has taught me about life---

1. Slow down and enjoy the scenery!

When I envisioned myself with a dog, I always thought I'd have a super fast dog that could keep up with me biking, running, hiking, etc. If you can't tell from the picture, Laszlo has really short legs and a very large body. Think low-rider hovercraft-- that's Laszlo in the snow or grass taller than 4 inches.

Corgis were actually bred for herding, if you can believe that. They are so low to the ground that when they nip at the heals of their herded friends, they do not get hit in the face by the backswing of the sheep/cow/small child, etc..

Unfortunately, my little man has severe hip malformation so he never had a successful career as a herding dog. He has no cartiledge in his hips. A couple years ago I took him to a vet to have him assessed. The vet gasped when she held the x-ray up to the light. She couldn't believe how happy Laszlo was despite the fact that every time he moved his lower torso, he experienced a sharp, piercing pain. Since then, Laszlo has been on a very high dose of Rimadyl-- a miracle drug for dogs with severe arthritis. However, Laszlo still moves very slow and methodically. It takes 20 minutes to walk around the block. While he's waddling down the sidewalk sniffing everything within nose range, I slow my fast pace down to a snail pace stroll. Many times I would find myself getting annoyed at him. When I would feel this annoyance surface, my "big mind" would interfer, tell me take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery. Thank you, Little Laszlo to helping me slow down and enjoy the scenery!

2. Telepathic Communication is Real!

Many people who have deep relationships with their pets will agree with me on this one. Laszlo and I can communicate without talking. He knows when I'm sad and when I'm happy. I, too, can tell when he's in pain and needs a massage. I love how he looks in my eyes and sends his information to me telepathically. I do the same. It's a beautiful thing!

3. Massage and Therapeutic Touch are REALLY awesome!

Laszo's horrible hips started acting up at 2 years of age. For the past 7 years, Laszlo has needed "body work" on a daily basis. He has taught me a ton about proper alignment in the hips and the benefits of tractioning out his hips to create space for relief. After an aggressive tennis ball or stick retrieving session, I can feel an intense heat in his little hips. After a deep tissue massage and some hanging traction, Laszlo is much happier.

4. Pain can be managed by the mind

I've recently been listening to A Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankel. It is blowing me away. I think it should be a mandatory read or listen (books on cd rock!) for everyone. A sentiment he shares with his readers is about how important positive mental outlook is for survival & vitality. His perspective is shared from his agonizing experience as a concentration camp survivor. The veternarian's comment about how surprised she was that Laszlo was so happy despite his pain taught me a lot about perspective. Once we realize that chronic pain is going to be a part of our life, we can use our powerful mind to shift our awareness away from it. Laszlo has done a remarkable job with this because when people meet him, they see the joy, happiness and love in his eyes.

5. Perception is Reality

The first dog Laszlo tried to hump was a St. Bernard. He didn't get very far but I was really impressed with his ambition! Just a reminder, Laszlo is only as high off the ground as a Bassett Hound. The sweet St. Bernard "Abby" was really nice about it; she turned around, acknowledged him, winked and just let him do his thing on her right hind leg. Laszlo looked like a squirrel climbing a tree. He thought Abby was a suitable mate. Go, Laszlo!

The first dog Laszlo got in a fight with was an Akita. Akita, I think, are Japanese fighting dogs??? Needless to say, Laszlo got nasty and viscious and was seriously willing to put up his dukes despite the 70 lbs. weight difference and 3 foot height differential.

I'll end these 5 important Laszlo lessons with one of my favorite quotes--

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog".

Thanks for letting me share Laszlo's lessons with you. He's a really special dog!